Many androids were lost in the attacks. Jericho lost more than half its residents, and with you being one of the few who knew how to heal androids, you were overloaded with work. Android after android was brought to you, broken and battered with damaged components, missing limbs or huge amounts of thyrium drained. You and several other androids worked night and day to recover as many androids as possible, but soon you realised there was only so much thyrium and biocomponents to go around. You did all you could, but when there were so many injured, there was only so much you could possibly do. Not only had many lives been lost; hope had been lost too. With Markus's death, androids turned to you for help, much to North's distaste. You insisted they go to North, but they still were determined to treat you as some kind of 'saviour', even though you had once hunted deviant androids yourself.
Connor stayed by your side during those late nights. You knew he was tired too, but he insisted on staying awake for your sake, being your source of comfort in the times when there was no hope.
You worried for the future; but most of all you worried for your friends. Those androids you had traveled with; Nox, Bec and Jade were no where to be seen. No one saw them during the attacks. No one saw them in the newly established 'Jericho' either. You hoped that they had managed to escape alive, but after seeing all the damage caused to the androids, that thought seemed delusional.
You stood in the abandoned church now, the place where all the androids had turned to for shelter. They still dragged in damaged androids, remaining from what was left of the old freighter. Connor rested a hand on your shoulder as you watched them brought in on stretchers. Perhaps deciding to blow up Jericho was the wrong choice. You cringed at the thought.
"We did the right thing..." Connor whispered, seeming to read your mind.
"But what if we didn't..." You voiced your concern. "Maybe if we didn't blow up Jericho, more androids could have escaped."
"And be slaughtered by the soldiers?" Connor furrowed his brows with concern. You looked up into his russet brown eyes. "If they die here, they die free... and the ones who have survived still have a chance." He gestured around at the few androids still left in the abandoned church. "We still have Jericho." You followed his gaze. Androids hugged each other, sadness heavy in the atmosphere. Yet in some of those eyes, you could still see the determination to survive.
"But they have started rounding up androids Connor..." You whispered, gripping his shirt. "They are rounding them up and destroying them one by one. We don't have enough androids here to fight against them..."
"No one would ever guess you were a human..." Connor smiled, brushing your hair off you face.
"Sometimes I wonder if I wasn't meant to be..." You muttered. Connor opened his mouth to reply, but you were both interrupted at the sound of more androids being carried in. Some androids sitting on the benches look up at the sight of a particular android, whispers filling the air. You moved over to investigate the cause of the disturbance.
Lying on the stretcher, damaged beyond repair but still active with a red LED was Markus. Your eyes widened in shock. He didn't notice you were there, in a place far too painful to comprehend the world around him.
"Markus..." You whispered. Connor stepped behind you. The androids continued to carry Markus's body on the stretcher, towards a boarded off area of the abandoned church. You rolled up your sleeves, moving towards them.
"Where are you going?" Connor murmured after you, following close at your heel.
"I'm going to do what I can."
---
You don't think Markus noticed your presence during the time when you desperately worked to heal him. Connor sat beside you mostly silently, as you stitched the damaged synthetic skin on Markus's head, transplanted what little thyrium there was left, and removed the bullet that had embedded in his leg, not his chest as you had first assumed when you saw him fall. His body was badly burnt from an explosion no doubt, but still functional. When you were done, his LED turned amber, but he still remained in rest mode. You wiped the sweat off your brow. You turned to Connor beside you. He had also finally fallen into rest mode, after forcing himself to stay awake day by day by your side. You brushed the dark hair off his forehead, and smiled slightly. He seemed so peaceful when he was resting. You rested your head on his forehead, and let yourself drift slightly. After forcing yourself to stay awake for so long, it was no wonder you were tired. You closed your eyes and let yourself fall asleep, feeling the warmth as you leaned against Connor's shoulder.
---
You felt your footsteps echo on the cold metal floor as you ran fast. The walls of a strange place you didn't recognize rose above you. Walls made of material you didn't understand. The only colour you could process was white. Everything was white. You didn't look back, but you heard the voices of your pursuers.
"Save us!!"
"You're our only hope!!"
"Help us!!"
"Don't let us die!!"
You cowered at a dead end, covering your ears. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" You screamed, finally turning to see the many remaining androids from Jericho limping towards you, hands outstretched, reaching for you, calling for you, biocomponents and thyrium spilling from their bodies, wires dragging on the floor behind them like snakes. You wanted to scream again but no sound left your body as they moved closer and closer. Suddenly strong arms gripped your body and pulled you into a side room, away from the chaos. You heard the damaged androids beat on the door as it locked automatically. You turned to see your saviour, relief flooding your features. It was Connor. He didn't smile at you, he just stared. You ran into his arms.
"Connor... where are we, what is this place?" You looked up into his calculating face. It wasn't Connor. This android had silver eyes, a more severe jawline, and an expression that was just as severe. He pushed you away and you fell to the floor. The androids had burst in behind you and were now pulling you back as you screamed. The android who looked like Connor watched, making no move to help you.
"WHERE'S CONNOR? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" You screamed. Before you could hear his response, pain burst through your chest as you watched your red blood spurt from it, seeping on the floor beneath you. You heard the whizzing and whirring of biocomponents seeming to come from yourself as your head collided with the cold hard floor, and everything fell dark.
---
You gasped awake in cold sweat.
"Connor? Connor" You whipped your head around but Connor was no where to be seen. You had been lying on a soft white surface. The blanket that had been over Markus's body. You raised your head and saw Markus, still in rest mode. As you watched, he slowly opened his hetechromatic eyes and gazed at you, still not quite seeing.
"Did you blow up the freighter?" Was his first question. He moved his head around, still not quite seeing. "Just like I asked..."
You felt your face fall for some odd reason you couldn't explain. He thought you were North all along; North was the one he had asked to blow up Jericho not you.
"I'm not North, but I can get her for you..." You murmured, rising to your feet. He instantly moved his hand and grabbed the hem of your shirt.
"No..." Suddenly his eyes came into focus, and he seemed to see your face at last. "I knew it was you all along."
You slowly sat back down beside Markus. He let go of your shirt and let it rest on the old mattress. You opened your mouth to speak but you didn't know exactly what you wanted to say. He spoke first.
"I'm sorry..."
"Sorry for what?"
"For what I did..." He turned his head towards you again. "I regret it... I do. I don't know what came over me when I said and did those things to you..." You remained silent as he continued. "You have only been with us for a few weeks... but there is something about you that draws me... draws all of us to you; And I don't know what."
You stayed there silently for a long moment. You wished Connor was here with you; he always seemed to know exactly what to say. Because in this moment, you had no words. Deep inside you, you still weren't sure if you could trust Markus. But when you looked in his eyes, he seemed to deeply regret his actions; And without really think about it, you replied.
"I forgive you."
He looked up at you in surprise and you gazed at each other for a long moment. The moment was interrupted when the door burst open, and an android stood in the doorway. When you saw who it was, you rose to your feet.
"Bec!!" You squealed as you ran to her, pulling her into your arms. She did not hug you back. You pulled away to look at her, relieved that she was still alive. But she barely looked it when you stared at her face. Physically she was still on her feet; mentally she was dying. Parts of her body had been burnt, a large gash across half of her face, deactivating the use of her left eye. If you had to describe it, it seemed that she had been to hell and back. She first glared at Markus, then at you.
"Bec, you're alive... I'm so relieved. I-I thought--"
"We don't have time," She growled. "We need you out here, right now." She grabbed your wrist and dragged you from the room, down into the main area of the church. You froze as you saw the large group of androids gathered around something. When Bec approached, they cleared a space in the crowd, watching with cautious eyes as she lead you towards a figure lying on a stretcher. The whispers of the crowd hushed as you saw the burnt body seemingly frozen in time.
Lying on the stretcher was Nox; body burnt and black, limbs unmoving, thyrium pouring from his chest, discolouring the stretcher beneath him.